These movies give us a look at how people might behave if they learned that the world would end soon.

5. Deep Impact (1998)Destruction by: CometWhat people do: US government hides important people in an underground hideaway, while everybody else acts as they would otherwise, with shocking apathy toward the fact that other people will get to be saved but they won’t. Some people who are to be saved give their seats up to others and instead spend the time reconciling with their loved ones.

3. Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012)Destruction by: asteroidWhat people do: sex, neurosis, panic, destruction, seeking closure with important people in their lives, pretending nothing is wrong

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2. Melancholia (2011)Destruction by: Wayward planetWhat people do: get married, be in denial, be depressed

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1. On the Beach (1959)Destruction by: radiation from nuclear war in the northern hemisphere slowly, inexorably flowing into the otherwise intact southern hemisphere, progressively killing all life from north to south, until finally, Melbourne, Australia is the only remaining area where there is a large human population.What people do: Keeping a stiff upper lip is key in this work written by a British man who was a veteran of two world wars (he moved to Australia shortly after WWII). The story begins after the nuclear war has destroyed the Northern hemisphere but left the Southern part of the planet more or less untouched.The remains of the US Navy–one submarine–is filled with Americans who try to pretend that their families are still alive at home, and they’ll see them again when they return from their overseas duty. The Australians spend some of their time in denial, and the rest planning mass suicide to avoid the agonies of slow death by radiation poisoning. Also features the world’s deadliest grand prix car race. If you see one movie on this list, I recommend this one.